Babysitting Miss. Edith
by Lil Miss Giggles
Summary: D/X and D/S. Spike gets Xander to Babysit Dru while he takes care of some stuff. Please R
1. Part 1

Babysitting Miss. Edith  
  
Title - see above  
Rating - whatever it says at the beginning  
Ownership - Joss is God. Enough said.  
Distribution - if you want, you can have, but ask first.  
Feedback - PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!!!!!! ... but *no* flames.  
Author's Notes - D/X, D/S   
  
"Dru, no. Please?"  
"Naughty."  
The vampiress waved her finger under his nose in a mock-lecture. He squirmed underneath her, those fangs were too close for comfort. He winced as he tried to throw her off. His back was badly bruised from when she'd pounced on him. She wanted to play. He had no problem with 'catch' or 'tag' or even the odd game of 'hide and go seek', but somehow he doubted that's what Drusilla wanted to play.  
"Dru, baby, this hurts. Please."  
To his surprise, she got off, an expression of total shame and guilt spreading across her face. She lowered her head, looking at him through long lashes - he was sure he saw her bottom lip tremble as the fangs were hidden away and she returned to her human form. He sighed, how could anyone be angry with a girl like her?  
"I'm sorry, baby, I just got a sore back, that's all."  
He looked around. When Dru had asked him to take her for a walk, he hadn't wanted it to end here, in the cemetery. He stood up,  
"Can we go home now?"  
"Miss. Edith wants to play."  
"Miss. Edith can play at my place."  
He took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. She smiled - then decked him.  
"Dru! What th--" Xander cut himself off as he saw her raking her nails across the face of a Newly-risen. The vampire snarled in rage and she backhanded him across the jaw, sending him sprawling across the path.  
She glared after the demon, golden orbs shining with anger,  
"If you hurt one hair on that boy's head, I'll--"  
The vampire lunged at her and she gave him a demonstration of what she'd do if he hurt Xander. The human winced as he began to feel terrible sympathy pains for the offending vamp. Dru wasn't one to do things half-heartedly.  
When the vampiress returned to him, Xander had his hand over his heart, holding his breath and had his eyes screwed shut. Dru was wielding a blunt stake the Buffster had discarded a few weeks back. She sat beside and threw away the stake, placing a cold hand either side of his head. He opened his eyes slowly and she ran one hand through his hair.  
"Don't fret, Kitten, Mummy's here."  
"Dru, baby, I promised Spike I'd look after you. Not the other way around. I could have handled him."  
The girl may have been as crazy as they come, but she saw right through him. Raising her eyebrows, she gave him a doubtful look and he rolled his eyes,  
"Okay, so I might have needed you to help finish him off, but not before I'd done some serious kicking-of-the-ass."  
She helped him to his feet and smiled warmly at him - the remembered to put her fangs away. He chuckled as she hurriedly made her vampiric nature retreat and then tried the smile again. Taking her hand he led her back to his apartment.  
"Kitten?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Miss. Edith and I promise not to tell Spike."  
"Good, 'cause if you do, Miss. Edith won't be allowed to come and play at my place."  
  
"Spike won't be happy if he finds out his baby saved the babysitter's ass."  
"Hey, I could've taken him on! ... the other one, not Spike."  
"Yeah. The Newly Risen vampire insane with bloodlust?"  
"He wasn't ... wasn't *that* newly risen. Y'know, not so much on the 'insane with bloodlust' side."  
Willow shook her head,  
"That's not what Dru told me, Xan."  
"Dru? What's she told you?"  
He jumped when Buffy walked into the Magic Box,  
"Hey, Buff. How're things going?"  
"I had drama class this morning and I got psyhology this afternoon. Then I have the night off. Nothing but bouncy happies for Buffy. What about you guys?"  
"I'm all booked up. I have anthropology this afternoon and I gotta finish my presentation for tomorrow morning so I'm busy tonight."  
"Xan?"  
"Uh ... I'm ... busy."  
Willow filled in for him,  
"He's got a new job."  
"Sheesh, Xan, the icecream guy didn't last long."  
"Anya kept helping herself when I wasn't looking and got me fired. Then she left. No job, no money to get Anya pretty things."  
Buffy dumped her books on the table and sat down with them,  
"So what's the new job?"  
"Babysitting."  
"Will, I can speak for myself."  
"Alexander Harris, you hate kids!"  
"Babysitting ... without so much of the 'baby' part."  
"With no baby. What, you're house-sitting?"  
"Yes! That's *exactly* it! I'm house-sitting!"  
Willow smiled,  
"Ever the enthusiast."  
"Whose house?"  
Xander panicked,  
" ... no-one you know ... friend of the family."  
Willow chose the moment to change the subject, much to Xander's relief.  
"Hey, wanna go for a soda?"  
The Slayer glanced at her watch and cursed under her breath,  
"Sorry, guys. Reincheck - I got class in 10 minutes and I've gotta go get my bag from the frat house."  
Xander watched her go and waited a full 5 minutes in silence while he made sure he was gone. Then he deflated.  
  
  
Spike smiled warmly at his Sire and squeezed her hand. She didn't squeeze back. She was looking up at the apartment building. He followed her gaze to Xander's window. The only window with decent curtains.   
"I'll have to leave you here, pet. You don't mind do you?"  
She looked at him in mild confusion.   
"Dru, you do know the way up to Harris' flat don't you."  
She nodded and smiled at him. After recieving a brief goodbye kiss from her Childe, she looked up at Xander's window again. He was looking out at her and waving happily. Her eyes lit up and she hurried across to the main entrance where Xander had promised to meet her.   
She stood in the reception area waiting for Xander. Moments later her wait was rewarded by a happy Xander, running out of the elevator, his arms piled high with various rented videos, bottles of lemonade and tucked under his coat, a 2 litre of blood from the butchers. His special surprise for her since she promised to be good.  
She grinned at the smell of it and her nose scrunched in delight when she saw the welcoming smile plastered across his face. He smiled fondly. She looked so sweet and innocent when she did that - sometimes he found it hard to believe that she was a blood-thirsty serial killer who used the innards of her victims as lunch or just general amusement. As these thoughts ran through his mind, he shuddered slightly, luckily Dru didn't notice. He didn't want her to 'fret' as she put it.  
He re-emerged from his thoughts to see Drusilla skipping past him. She stopped for a second to call back to him,  
"Come along, Kitten, mummy wants to watch this one."  
He noticed she'd taken one of the videos. Hannibal. Figures. 


	2. Part 2

Babysitting Miss. Edith - part 2  
  
Rating - whatever is was at the start.  
Ownership - Joss is God etc etc etc  
Distribution - take what you want but ask first  
Feedback - or may you die a horrible death  
  
Xander sat infront of the sofa, the bottle of blood resting against his shoulder and his eyes narrowed. Scrunching up his nose, he tried his best not to pay any attention to the blood bath taking place. Drusilla sat on the sofa, her finger dipping into the blood, correcting all the mistakes Hannibal was making as he slaughtered other characters.  
"Wrong!"  
"What's wrong, Dru?"  
"The blood! All of it!" she cried plaintively, "It's s'posed to go *this* way."  
She made gestures with her hands, showing the direction the blood was supposed to flow depending on what damage was done to the victim. Xander didn't want to know why she was telling him this. He looked up at her and she pouted,  
"Should be more screaming."  
"I would quite happily fill in the gaps for you, baby."  
The vampiress rescued the bottle as he hid his eyes. She looked back at the screen and giggled with delight at the gore, taking long gulps and licking her lips, completely riveted by what took place infront of her. She smiling reassuringly and even though he couldn't see her, Drusilla slipped off the sofa and sat next to her babysitter.  
"Don't look, pet. Mummy won't let the bad man hurt you."  
She placed her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply as the unsatisfactory screams subsided. The human smiled affectionately and slowly put his arm around her shoulders, making sure his eyes remained averted from the television.  
The vampire clapped her hands happily and her content smile broadened as the level of gore increased ... and the phone rang.  
Hey, Xan?   
Xander jumped,  
"Buffy!"  
What're you doing at home? You said you were housesitting.   
He glanced at Dru. She was scowling at the phone - she knew who it was.  
"Uh ... yeah, well there was a change of plan."  
So are you free to come over? I need someone to look out for Dawn while I'm on patrol. Giles had a change of heart about my night off.   
"I can't ... um ... I'm sorta tied up over here." Then he saw the look in the vampire's eyes and he covered up the mouth piece. "No. Don't even *think* it. You tie me up and I'll tell on you."  
She pouted, "Tattle tail."  
Oh ... well can Dawn come over to your place?   
"Uh ... Buffy, I, er ... " He sighed deeply and rolled his eyes, "Whatever, bring her over."  
They hung up and Xander turned to see Drusilla sitting on the sofa, her arms folded across her chest in a temper.  
"Dru, baby ... Dawn is coming over. If I can make Dawn promise not to tell, will you promise not to hurt her?"  
"Nasty lady." She glared out of the window, Buffy would be here soon.  
"We'll need to hide you. Just until the nasty lady's gone, is that okay with you? ... Dru, I promise I won't let her hurt you."  
The human found his voice softening as if her was taking to a child, she seemed to respond to it better even though she was well over 100 years older than him.  
  
"Hey Buffy, Dawn."  
Dawn skipped into the flat smiling brightly,  
"Hey Xan!"  
Buffy stood at the door,  
"This is okay with you, right?"  
"Oh sure, no problem."  
"Great. See ya."  
She turned to leave then stopped. Xander faltered,  
"Something wrong, Buff'?"  
"Hmm? Oh, no. Just thought I heard ... something."  
Dawn was getting impatient, she wanted her 'super-hero' of a sister to go away,  
"Buffy, Giles won't be happy if you're late for patrol *again*."  
Giving her little sister a parting glare, Buffy smiled at her friend and left. Xander watched hr turn the corner, then cursed her 'Slayer-senses'. He closed the door and walked back in mumbling,  
"So close."  
Dawn looked at the television, Drusilla had left Hannibal running,  
"Eww! Xander, that's *gross*!"  
"Yeah ... Dawn. If I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell Buffy. Okay?"  
Dawn grinned wickedly, she loved keeping things from her sister. She loved secrets full stop.   
"Okay. Shoot."  
"You've heard of the vampire called Dru, right?"  
"The psycho-chick? The one who--"  
"Dawn. You *can't* tell Buffy. Got that?"  
"Duh."  
Xander looked over her shoulder. At the sound of her name, Drusilla had come out of the bathroom and was slowly making her way towards him, unsure of what the kid's reaction would be. Following her babysitter's gaze, Dawn turned around and opened her mouth to scream. He clapped his hand over her mouth. Dru stepped back a pace, then put a finger to her lips, "Shh, pet. Mummy won't hurt you now."  
"Dru, baby, put the fangs away. Dawn, meet Dru. Dru, meet Dawn."  
The vampire indicated the doll on the table, "You forgot Miss. Edith, Kitten."  
"And this is Miss. Edith."  
Dawn nodded,  
"Yeah. I got that."  
She offered her hand to the vampire, maybe a little more confidently than she should. Dru shrank back, and stared at the girl in confusion. Xander laughed,"Dru, she only wants to shake hands." He took Dawn's hand and then Dru's and joined them. The girl flinched slightly at the cold touch of the pale hand that grasped hers, then smiled.  
  
"The brat won't snitch?"  
"She's not a brat, and no, she won't snitch."  
"She knows I'll gut 'er if she does."  
"Dru told us ... in excruciating detail."  
Spike laughed and hooked his arm around his Sire's waist,  
"Right, you're free tomorrow night aswell then? I've still got a few ... loose ends to tie up."  
"Fine by me."  
"Great. See you then, Harris. Dru, pet say goodbye."  
The vampire smiled fondly and waved goodbye, "Bye-bye, Kitten."  
"Bye Dru, see ya Spike."  
Xander watched them leave, then shut the door behind him,  
"Dawn, you tell Buffy and I swear, *I'll* be the one who guts you."  
"Huh?"  
"When Spike says 'gut', he means hours of torture. A very prolonged death. I'd rather you died faster than that." He handed her a glass of Cola. "What's worse. He'd probably let Dru do it, then you really are screwed."  
"She's not as dangerous as Buffy makes out she is."  
"No. She is. She sat through 'Hannibal' correcting everything, how much blood should have flown, the volume of the screams - you get the picture."  
" ... yikes."  
"Damn it." He looked at the bottle of blood by the couch. "I told her to take it with her. No way that's gonna fit in the refridgerator." 


	3. Part 3

Babysitting Miss Edith - part 3  
  
Drusilla sat by the fire staring into the flames. Her face was emotionless and she wrung her hands as she whispered things to herself. Spike watched her out of the corner of his eye whilst finishing a business agreement on the phone. He watched as she averted her eyes from the fire and began to fidget with the hem of her dress, humming a lullaby to no-one in particular.  
"Sorry, mate, but I'm gonna have to go ...... right ......see you then? ...... 'kay, bye."   
He returned the cell phone to the pocket in his jacket and hung the jacket over the chair.  
"Miss Edith's gone all quiet."  
"No voices, love?"  
"All hushed up."  
The blonde vampire scanned the room for the china-doll, it had gone. No sign of Miss Edith anywhere.  
"Where's Miss Edith got to?"  
"All gone."  
"Where?"  
"On holiday." Spike frowned. Dru never went anywhere without her doll, and the voices were a permanent part of her mind. "On holiday with Kitten."  
"You've left Miss Edith at Xander's flat."  
She looked at him and nodded gently, "I'm all alone."  
"I'm here, Dru."  
"The silence hurts my head."  
It was times like these, that Spike was reminded just how psychotic his Sire really was. Miss Edith was Dru's best form of communication with those she knew. Without the doll, she was quiet unless the air began to 'sing'.  
"Shall I ask Harris to bring her over?"  
"Miss Edith likes Kitten. He says she can play at his house if it pleases her."  
Spike smiled and sat beside her,  
"And does it please her?"  
"Kitten brings nice things to watch and games to play. Miss Edith likes to play."  
He hugged her,  
"But don't you play with him, Dru. You'll hurt him, y'hear?"  
He tapped her nose gently, and was just about to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. Rolling his eyes he called,  
"Whatever you're selling, I don't want any so sod-off!"  
Xander's voice called back,  
"Miss Edith got bored of Hannibal and Scream."  
Spike opened the door, the human stood there with Miss Edith in one arm and a huge bottle of blood in the other. He handed the doll to Drusilla as she ran up to him and gave Spike the bottle.  
"I would've saved it for her, but it's too big to fit in my refridgerator."  
  
  
"Where did you get all the blood from?"  
"When Angel left, he forgot to cancel his 'account' with the local slaughter house. I just picked up where he left off."  
"It was fresh, right?"  
"Will, I'm not gonna poison her."  
"Hey, guys."  
Buffy walked into the Magic Box, her little sister carrying the food shopping. Xander smiled at them both,  
"Hey Dawn, Buff'."  
Exhausted, the youngest of the Summers women dumped the grocery bags on the table and sat down next to Willow,  
"Hi."  
Seeing Giles shelving magic books in the back-room, the Slayer took leave of her friends and went to make enquiries. Dawn immediately lowered her voice,  
"Xan, you *have* to tell her. Does Giles know?"  
".... no, not yet."  
"Dawn's right, Xander, the longer you wait to tell Buffy, the worse her reaction'll get."  
"I guess I could tell Giles ...... then ask him the best way to tell the Buffster."  
"What about the Buffster?"  
The trio jumped as Buffy popped her head around the door. Willow blushed guiltily, Dawn began to fidget and Xander looked at Buffy like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.  
  
"What?!"  
"Hey, it's really not that big a deal."  
"Yes it *is*."  
"Okay, yes it is, but w--"  
"And you expect me to turn a blind eye while you harbour a psychopathic killer in your home?!"  
"...... uh - yes?"  
"Well I won't. By no stretch of the imagination is this 'not that big a deal'."  
"Um ...... if you keep quiet I *promise* never to call you 'Big G' or 'G-man' or ... 'Rupert the Big G-man--"  
"You've never called me that."  
"Well ...... I'm promising in advance."  
"Xander, I really don't th--" Willow, Xander and Dawn sat there looking at him hopefully. Dawn especially. "Oh alright. I won't say a word, but you had better come up with a way of telling her without getting yourself killed."  
"Buffy would kill me?"  
Giles sighed wearily,  
"No, but Spike will if she hurts Drusilla."  
  
"Hey Dru!"  
Dawn skipped happily into Xander's front room where the vampiress sat pouting on the sofa. Xander frowned,  
"Dru, baby, what's wrong?" She gave him her you-know-exactly-what's-wrong look. He sighed, "I had to leave you. I couldn't risk bringing the nasty lady near you again. She might have seen you."  
Dawn sat next to Dru,  
"Nasty lady?"  
Harris nodded,  
"Buffy."  
"Oh I can *so* relate to that. - Hey, look."  
Xander followed Dawn's gaze to where Dru sat holding Miss Edith in one hand, and another china-doll in the other.  
The red-head smiled,  
"Dru, meet Isabelle. I figured you'd like to play with her aswell as Miss edith."  
The vampire smiled at Dawn,  
"Miss Edith likes you. She likes Isabelle." She turned to Xander, "Can we have tea-party?"  
"Fine by me, but no physical violence, Dru."  
  
Xander sat in the kitchen. He wasn't happy.  
"Dawn? ....... Dru? ...... Oh come on, girls! Please?"  
The two women peered around the door frame, looked at eachother and giggled in unison. He sighed wearily,   
"I've had enough of this game now."  
Dawn smirked,  
"Who said it was a game?"  
Xander frowned. Half-way through their tea-party, Drusilla got bored. She wanted to play a new game with Dawn. He had watched while they conspired in the corner then Dru vamped-out and pinned him to a chair while Dawn tied him up. The vampiress had been proud of her. They were knots to be admired - Xander didn't quite agree since those knots were holding him to the chair and he couldn't get up.   
"Oh please, Dru, baby, let me go."  
She tutted and shook her head, "Mummy says stay still. Naughty Kitten."  
"Dawn, honey, sweetie, dar--"  
"Nuh-uh. No way, Xan."  
"Hey, who's gonna protect you two if something happens?"  
That made them think - for a split second. Then they left him and went to watch ER. Not something he thought Dru would enjoy, but she was glued to the screen. He grew increasingly worried as they started to talk about men. Dawn, being her typical self, was quite innocently talking about the cute guys she knew at school. Dru was, well, not going as far as she could have done, but she went far none-the-less.   
"This one time, in the dinner queue, I saw this *really* cute guy and his friend told my friend that he liked me and then he asked me out and I was s--"  
"Dawn, youre speaking too fast."  
"I met a lovely boy once - he couldn't get his eyes off me..."  
Dawn blinked, the vampire was half day(night)dreaming and half talking to her. She was staring at her fingers. With a small frown of confusion, Dawn turned to Xander - still tied to the chair. He glanced at Dru and mouthed,  
"Off - her - fingers."  
Glancing at Dru's long fingernails, Dawn blinked then mouthed back,  
"You - mean - she?" She made gouging gestures with her fingers and Xander nodded.  
"Ewww, gross!"  



	4. Part 4

Babysitting Miss Edith - part 4.  
  
"Aren't you glad you untied me?"  
"Yes."  
Xander smiled affectionately at Dru, she held Miss Edith in her right hand, and drew light circles on the back of his hand with the fingers of her left.   
"Miss Edith is sorry for hurting Kitten's nose."  
Subconsciously, the human rubbed his nose. Dru had thrown the doll at him when he got back from dropping Dawn back at Buffy's. She was mad at him for leaving her again. His nose had bled for a full ten minutes. She offered to clean it for him - he hadn't realised it would mean her licking his top lip. Not that he'd had a choice. Before he could answer her, she had pounced on him, knocking him onto the sofa and pinning his arms above his head.  
"You have blood all down your top, baby."  
She looked down at the neckline of her dress and saw the blood that had soaked into it, turning the white dress into a white dress with a pink neckline. She licked her lips,  
"Dru, no. You'll make it worse." he said, watching her closely. He was slightly shaken. The blood was his and she had a taste for it now. He hoped to whatever supreme being there may be that the glint in her eyes wasn't hunger.  
"Hungry, baby?" Stupid.  
He sagged with relief as she shook her head and stopped drawing circles on the back of his hand and began to walked her fingers up his arm and across his shoulders. She seemed to like his shirt. Wierd, but then she was a couple of sandwiches short of picnic - or 'a whole loada pints short of a bloodbank' as Spike had put it.  
"Dru, if you're not watching Friday 13th can I sw--"  
"Shhhh ........... the air."  
".... the air?"  
"It sings....."  
He panicked slightly. Where was Spike when you needed him? What if the air was singing about something he really didn't want to know? Apocalypses, armageddon, the destruction of all existence full-stop.  
"It sings, and every particle says pretty words."  
"Words? Pretty words?"  
She tilted her head to one side and looked at the outline of his profile against the window.  
"Dru .... baby, what did the air sing?"  
"Pretty words."  
She spoke as if the answer was obvious and that anyone could have known the answer. He bit his lip and frowned slightly,  
"What pretty words? .... What did the air sing about?"  
"The air's been singing? What did it tell you, pet?"  
Dru frowned and covered her ears with her hands,  
"So many questions!"  
Xander looked at Spike. The vampire stood in the doorway, jacket slung over his shoulder. He didn't like that fact that the demon could waltz into his flat whenever he wanted - once invited, always invited - unless he could twist Willow's arm into revoking the invitation, but Drusilla wouldn't be very happy if he locked out her Childe.  
"Come on, ducks, home time."  
The vampiress turned to Xander and tapped his forehead,  
"It's all in there."  
Spike and Harris exchanged glances as she cradled Miss Edith and walked dreamily over to her fledgling. From his seat on the sofa, the human waved goodbye and smiled when Dru blew him a kiss. Sweet. Closing his eyes to the breeze as the door swung shut, Xander rubbed his forehead where Dru tapped him. He frowned in mild confusion,  
"It's all in there?" He was almost tempted to call her back to ask what that meant, but he was too tired for another encounter with Miss Edith and her Mummy.   
Briefly opening his eyes, he looked at the clock. 1:24am. He'd better get some sleep. He'd promised Giles he would help in the Magic Box in exchange for the Watcher's silence.  
  
He opened his eyes. He was in a big armchair, a bit like the one in Spike's place. Standing up, Xander looked around him - this *was* Spike's place. Not good. If Blondie found he had come for no apparent reason he'd--  
"You came." Spinning around, he panicked slightly,  
"Dru? Wh--"  
"Hush, Kitten. Mummy's here now."  
"... that's what I was afraid of - does Spike know I'm here?"  
Moving closer, she wrapped one arm around his neck and placed her finger on his lips,  
"Shhh."  
Reaching up, Xander took hold of her arm and moved it away from his face,  
"Why am I here, Dru?"  
A dreamy smile played across her lips and she tilted her head to look at him at a different angle.  
She tapped his forehead,  
"It's all in there."  
"So you said. Dru, baby, why am I here?"  
Clapping a hand over his mouth, she pulled him closer, placing butterfly kisses down his neck. He tensed, remembering that his neck was now in point-blank range of her fangs. Oh joy. Seizing her by the shoulders, he pushed her away.  
"Dru, no."  
Pouting disappointedly, she turned away from him and walked arouns to the chair he'd beem sitting in before. Spike sat there now, a wicked glint in his eye. He grinned mischeviously as his Sire walked towards him and sat in his lap. Sleepily, she rested her head on his shoulder as he kissed the top of her head. Neither seemed to notice him anymore and Xander took this as a much-wanted opportunity to do a runner. He turned away and headed towards the door - then Spike screamed in pain. Xander froze and slowly turned around. Dru sat in the armchair alone. A blunt stake in one hand and ashes covering the chair and the floor infront of it. She dusted him. Xander felt an icey lump where he heart should be as she stood up and looked at him, her face emotionless. The lump travelled up to his throat as the vampire's figure morphed into that of Buffy's and she spoke - with Giles' voice.  
"By no stretch of the imagination is this 'not that big a deal'." 


End file.
